Pope summons Irish bishops to an emergency meeting in Rome

Pope Benedict XVI has summoned Irish bishops to discuss the fallout of the Murphy report at an emergency meeting in Rome.

The meeting will take place on February 15 and 16, and there will be "several senior Vatican officials in attendance."

The Murphy report found that 46 priests raped and abused 320 children in the Dublin Archdiocese.

It also concluded that the Catholic Church covered up by the abuse, and every effort was made to discredit the victims of abuse when they went they spoke in public about their experiences.

The Irish Catholic newspaper said the bishops will meet with the pope next month and will be given the opportunity to speak to him.

The Irish Catholic said the meeting was called "because of what is perceived as a very serious situation in Ireland."

The special meeting will give the Pope an opportunity to send a message to the Irish people and address the problem of clerical abuse in Ireland.

"By the end of the meeting it is expected that concrete proposal's will have emerged and the Pope will offer his conclusions. Each bishop will then return to his diocese for the Ash Wednesday liturgies on February 17, where he will address the faithful on the way forward."